This place is full of history, rich in legends as well as extraordinary natural beauty. That’s why Jajce is an excellent destination for a day trip…
Jajce is located on the road between Banja Luka and Sarajevo. More precisely, 71 km from Banja Luka and 158 km from Sarajevo.
This city has only 30,000 inhabitants, but it has everything. Historical monuments, museums and amazing nature.
How did Jajce get its name?
According to one of the legends, Jajce got its name when a local nobleman decided to build a city on the model of Castell del Uovo (Castle of the Egg), which is located in Naples. According to another, when the fortress was being built, eggs were added to the mortar, hence the name
What to see in Jajce?
People in wheelchairs can’t do much here, but walking people can travel through time in this city.
1. The waterfalls in Jajce are the most important attraction.
This is the first thing I wanted to visit. But how to approach them?
There is little information on how to approach the falls when you are a person in a wheelchair. That’s why you ask on the spot. Thanks to a tip from a well-intentioned local, we went to see the falls from the lower side. Thanks to his directions we should have reached the very lowest level. In front of us was a threatening but well-paved downhill road.
Since we had rich experiences from various challenges, this pushed us to descend to the entrance.
There, an unfinished, gravel path awaited us, into which my wheels kept falling and getting stuck. It was an obstacle that we could not overcome.
It was necessary to go back. In front of us was now such a steep uphill that you have to throw your head back to see its end.
If you ask me why we didn’t go by car, the answer is that our ancient van doesn’t have the ability to get out here. That’s why, with a lump in our throats, my assistants (read parents) in their mature years and I headed up with the knowledge that there is no stopping, because there will be no strength for another attempt.
I’ve never been so scared.
Fortunately, we succeeded, and I have something to remember Jajce by.
These waterfalls have been declared one of the most beautiful in the world, and I can only see them in pictures.
The water of the Pliva river falls from a height of 21 m.
It is not often that a waterfall is located in the very center of the city.
There are two ways to approach the waterfall. I have already described one, and the other is from the upper side, across the Pliva Bridge. I don’t know why, but many call it the Eiffel Bridge.
There is a pile of padlocks under which the bridge groans. I wonder what they would say if the padlocks could talk…
On the left side of the bridge there is a tourist office where you can get all the necessary information.
2. Old town
Passing through Travnička gate, you enter the old town.
Old and new buildings alternate here because life in the city has been going on continuously since the 14th century. Various civilizations left their mark here.
Omerbeg’s house, which is part of the Travnička gate, awaits you there. The house from the 17th century is a true example of Bosnian architecture from the Ottoman period. The roof is covered with shingles, the lower part of the house is made of stone with many small windows. Everywhere in the city you will easily notice this style of construction, which is dominant in Jajce.
3. Esma Sultania Mosque
After a further walk, you reach the mosque. A very interesting legend is associated with it.
Sultanija, who was married to the Bosnian vizier, was ill. The prophets told her that she would be cured if she made three endowments.
That’s what she did, she built two bridges, and she paid for the construction of the mosque with an earring. She did not live to see it completed, but it remained a beautiful endowment.
This mosque is the only one in Bosnia that bears a woman’s name. Another building worth visiting is Dizdar’s or Women’s Mosque from the 19th century, which is intended for prayers exclusively for women.
4. Jajce also has its own catacombs, which were supposed to be the last residence of the Hrvatinic family. In the Ottoman period they served as sanctuaries, and in the Austro-Hungarian period as beer storage. In the Second World War, the Supreme Headquarters hid in them.
5. Temple of God Mithras
The oldest monument in Jajce is the temple of the god Mithras, an Indo-European deity and protector of warriors who was respected in all the provinces of the Roman Empire. It was built between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, and was only discovered in 1931 by chance during the construction of a private building.
The relief shows the god Mithras, dressed in Persian costume, trying to subdue a bull, while he is assisted by a dog, a snake and a scorpion. It is part of the ethnographic museum collection.
6. The fortress in Jajce is located 470 m above sea level and is inaccessible for wheelchairs. It should be visited for several reasons.
It is considered the strongest fortress in Bosnia, because it resisted the Ottomans for almost 65 years.
It was built in the 13th century and was constantly improved later.
7. Bear Tower
It was used to defend the city from the west. There are two theories about the name. According to some, it go it’s name due to its stocky build, thanks to the walls of almost 6 m. According to the second theory, the less likely one, they used to throw captives from its top to the bears that lived nearby.
8. Tower of St. Luke
The panorama of Jajce is dominated by this tower, which is part of the ruined church of St. Mary’s, built in the 12th century.
This is the only preserved medieval bell tower in this part of the Balkans. It is named after the remaines of Saint Luke the Evangelist, which was brought as a dowry by Queen Mara (Jelena) Branković, daughter of the Serbian despot Lazar. She was the wife of the Bosnian heir to the throne Stjepan Tomašević. He was crowned as the last Bosnian king in this church.
During the Ottoman period in 1528, the church was turned into a mosque, the relics were sold to the Venetians. It was finally abandoned after several fires.
The building was declared a cultural monument by the Austro-Hungarian authorities at the end of the 19th century. Next to the church are the remains of two stone sarcophagi.
The relics of the king were transferred to the Franciscan monastery in Jajce, where they are displayed in a glass coffin. Other very valuable exhibits are kept here.
9. The house of the Sarac family should also be mentioned. The Telegraph Agency of New Yugoslavia (TANJUG) was founded there.
10. Museum of the II Session of AVNOJ
On November 29, 1943, a meeting of the AVNOJ was held in Jajce, where the foundations of the SFRY were laid.
Today, records, objects, and photographs from that period can be found in the museum, and the reconstruction of the memorial hall, where the session was held in 1943, was also done.
In front of the museum is the steam locomotive Little Partizanka, which brought the delegates from Slovenia and Croatia to the meeting. It was made back in 1903.
11. Ethno Museum
In the building of the Old School there is a Ethno Museum with an ethnological collection, which shows the customs and traditions of this region.
Conclusion
There is a lot to see in Jajce, but I cannot recommend it to people in wheelchairs.
If you are a person in a wheelchair, and you happen to be in Jajce, I strongly recommend you to stay in one of the taverns, where you should try “jajacku” or fresh trout from the Pliva River.
Have you been to Jajce?
Did I miss something?
Traveled and enjoyed,
Marko Velickovic
